Chinese trader suspected of selling military equipment to North Korea

Wang Dewen's daughter-in-law worries that the Chinese businessman may be dead. Wang's wife believes her husband is on a business trip. However, both of Wang's relatives are certain of one thing: the man has no connection to North Korea, according toAFP.

But according to UN records, Wang Dewen is a different man than his family portrays. Wang is one of several Chinese brokers who may have helped Pyongyang build a fleet of 300 drones. This network of brokers, according to international experts, plays a key role in the supply chain that allows North Korea to acquire and operate drones that spy on US missile defenses in South Korea and take photos of the Blue House in Seoul.

Last year, a UN report said North Korea "relies on Chinese brokers and uses cash to pay for commercial items destined for military purposes."

Chinese companies are also accused of selling North Korea trucks to transport artillery guns, other missile parts and special types of aluminium used in its nuclear development program, according to the United Nations study.

Washington is now pressing Beijing to crack down on illicit trade between its merchants and the Pyongyang regime. A group of UN experts has repeatedly asked China to explain how the drones were smuggled into North Korea. However, Beijing has yet to respond. The country's Foreign Ministry stressed that "China has always implemented the Security Council resolutions comprehensively and strictly" and asserted that violations of the resolutions "will be dealt with in accordance with the law."

Mysterious whereabouts

Wang Dewen has come to the attention of UN experts, but the broker has been difficult to track down. His company office in the northern city of Shenyang has been transferred to a new owner. Emails to contact him have been unsuccessful.

“My father is dead,” Wang’s daughter-in-law said as she opened the door to let reporters into their luxury apartment in the city. Seconds later, Wang’s wife stepped out and confirmed that her husband was still alive and “doing business in the country” and not in North Korea.

According to a 2016 United Nations report, Wang sold Pyongyang small low-light cameras, a powerful aid to drones on reconnaissance missions.

Wang's company, registered in Hong Kong under the name HK Conie Technology, bid on the military equipment from a UK-based supplier in 2014. And in the export license submitted to the UK government, Wang's company said it supplied cameras to domestic companies for security purposes. The UN report concluded that Wang's client was actually a "military contractor" in North Korea. Experts kept an eye on Wang thanks to the suspicious British government, which refused to approve the export license and reported the case to the UN.

Wang denied the allegations and asserted that HK Conie only conducted civilian transactions with Pyongyang. However, he admitted that he had allowed some North Korean companies to "hide" under the name of HK Conie in order to enjoy "domestic" prices when dealing with Chinese suppliers. At the same time, Wang admitted to having a bank account in North Korea for "transaction convenience".

"My husband never told me about those things," said Wang's wife.

Since 2014, investigators have found the remains of at least five drones believed to be North Korean and uncovered evidence linking Chinese companies to Pyongyang's military program.

Most recently in May 2017, a drone was found in the mountains of South Korea near the site.organizing the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. After inspection, this plane flew for 5 hours and most likely departed from Pyongyang.Investigators found on the plane more than 12 photos of the THAAD missile defense system that the US military installed in South Korea.

Although the serial number used to trace the plane's manufacturing origins was obscured, investigators were able to trace the manufacturer of the engine and autopilot system to the companyRedChina Geosystems is headquartered in Beijing., this information matches another one that crashed on the island.Baengnyeong in 2014.

“The Chinese buy our equipment,” wondered the RedChina executive. “How did it end up in North Korea? I have no idea.”